The Three Musketeers

This historical romance, perhaps the greatest cloak-and-sword story ever, relates the adventures of four fictional swashbuckling heroes who served the French kings Louis XIII and Louis XIV. When the dashing young D'Artagnon arrives in Paris from Gascony, he becomes embroiled in three duels with the Three Musketeers: Athos, Porthos, and Aramis. But when he proves himself by fighting not against, but with, the Three Musketeers, they form a quick and lasting friendship.

Don Quixote

The most influential work of the entire Spanish literary canon and a founding work of modern Western literature, Don Quixote is also one of the greatest works ever written. Hugely entertaining but also moving at times, this episodic novel is built on the fantasy life of one Alonso Quixano, who lives with his niece and housekeeper in La Mancha. Quixano, obsessed by tales of knight errantry, renames himself 'Don Quixote' and with his faithful servant Sancho Panza, goes on a series of quests.

The Last Cavalier: Being the Adventures of Count Sainte-Hermine in the Age of Napoleon

The story of France from the Renaissance to the 19th century, as Dumas vibrantly retold it in his numerous enormously popular novels, has long been absent one vital, richly historical era: the Age of Napoleon. But no longer. Now dynamically, in a tale of family honor and undying vengeance, of high adventure and heroic derring-do, The Last Cavalier fills that gap.

Les Misérables

Les Misérables is set in Paris after the French Revolution. In the sewers and backstreets, we encounter "the wolf-like tread of crime", and assassination for a few sous is all in a day's work. We weep with the unlucky and heart-broken Fantine, and we exult with the heroic revolutionaries of the barricades; but above all we thrill to the steadfast courage and nobility of soul of ex-convict Jean Valjean, always in danger from the relentless pursuit of the diabolical Inspector Javert.

The Pillars of the Earth: The Kingsbridge Novels, Book 1

The Pillars of the Earth tells the story of Philip, prior of Kingsbridge, a devout and resourceful monk driven to build the greatest Gothic cathedral the world has known... of Tom, the mason who becomes his architect - a man divided in his soul... of the beautiful, elusive Lady Aliena, haunted by a secret shame... and of a struggle between good and evil that will turn church against state, and brother against brother.

Jane Eyre

Following Jane from her childhood as an orphan in Northern England through her experience as a governess at Thornfield Hall, Charlotte Brontë's Gothic classic is an early exploration of women's independence in the mid-19th century and the pervasive societal challenges women had to endure. At Thornfield, Jane meets the complex and mysterious Mr. Rochester, with whom she shares a complicated relationship that ultimately forces her to reconcile the conflicting passions of romantic love and religious piety.

Dracula [Audible Edition]

The modern audience hasn't had a chance to truly appreciate the unknowing dread that readers would have felt when reading Bram Stoker's original 1897 manuscript. Most modern productions employ campiness or sound effects to try to bring back that gothic tension, but we've tried something different. By returning to Stoker's original storytelling structure - a series of letters and journal entries voiced by Jonathan Harker, Dr. Van Helsing, and other characters - with an all-star cast of narrators, we've sought to recapture its originally intended horror and power.

David Copperfield

When David Copperfield escapes from the cruelty of his childhood home, he embarks on a journey to adulthood which leads him through comedy and tragedy, love and heartbreak, and friendship and betrayal.

A Prayer for Owen Meany

Of all of John Irving's books, this is the one that lends itself best to audio. In print, Owen Meany's dialogue is set in capital letters; for this production, Irving himself selected Joe Barrett to deliver Meany's difficult voice as intended. In the summer of 1953, two 11-year-old boys - best friends - are playing in a Little League baseball game in Gravesend, New Hampshire. One of the boys hits a foul ball that kills the other boy's mother. The boy who hits the ball doesn't believe in accidents; Owen Meany believes he is God's instrument. What happens to Owen after that 1953 foul ball is extraordinary and terrifying.

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

A natural storyteller and raconteur in his own right - just listen to Paddle Your Own Canoe and Gumption - actor, comedian, carpenter, and all-around manly man Nick Offerman (Parks and Recreation) brings his distinctive baritone and a fine-tuned comic versatility to Twain's writing. In a knockout performance, he doesn't so much as read Twain's words as he does rejoice in them, delighting in the hijinks of Tom - whom he lovingly refers to as a "great scam artist" and "true American hero".

Sons and Lovers

Sons and Lovers, D. H. Lawrence's first major novel, was also the first in the English language to explore ordinary working-class life from the inside. No writer before or since has written so well about the intimacies enforced by a tightly knit mining community and by a family where feelings are never hidden for long. When the marriage between Walter Morel and his sensitive, high-minded wife begins to break down, the bitterness of their frustration seeps into their children's lives.

Frankenstein

Narrator Dan Stevens (Downton Abbey) presents an uncanny performance of Mary Shelley's timeless gothic novel, an epic battle between man and monster at its greatest literary pitch. In trying to create life, the young student Victor Frankenstein unleashes forces beyond his control, setting into motion a long and tragic chain of events that brings Victor to the very brink of madness. How he tries to destroy his creation, as it destroys everything Victor loves, is a powerful story of love, friendship, scientific hubris, and horror.

The Brothers Karamazov [Naxos AudioBooks Edition]

Fyodor Dostoyevsky is a titanic figure among the world's great authors, and The Brothers Karamazov is often hailed as his finest novel. A masterpiece on many levels, it transcends the boundaries of a gripping murder mystery to become a moving account of the battle between love and hate, faith and despair, compassion and cruelty, good and evil.

War and Peace, Volume 1

War and Peace is one of the greatest monuments in world literature. Set against the dramatic backdrop of the Napoleonic Wars, it examines the relationship between the individual and the relentless march of history. Here are the universal themes of love and hate, ambition and despair, youth and age, expressed with a swirling vitality which makes the book as accessible today as it was when it was first published in 1869.

An Officer and a Spy

January 1895: On a freezing morning in the heart of Paris, an army officer, Georges Picquart, witnesses a convicted spy, Captain Alfred Dreyfus, being publicly humiliated in front of 20,000 spectators baying 'Death to the Jew!' The officer is rewarded with promotion: Picquart is made the French army's youngest colonel and put in command of 'the Statistical Section' - the shadowy intelligence unit that tracked down Dreyfus.

Five Families: The Rise, Decline, and Resurgence of America's Most Powerful Mafia Empires

Genovese, Gambino, Bonnano, Colombo, and Lucchese. For decades these Five Families ruled New York and built the American Mafia (or Cosa Nostra) into an underworld empire. Today, the Mafia is an endangered species, battered and beleaguered by aggressive investigators, incompetent leadership, betrayals, and generational changes that produced violent, unreliable leaders and recruits.

Oliver Twist

A workhouse orphan, Oliver experiences the terror and brutality of the criminal underworld. His companions, a thief, a whore, a pickpocket, and a fence, are destined for gruesome ends, but Oliver emerges unscathed from the darkness of the underworld.

Publisher's Summary

An adventure story primarily concerned with themes of hope, justice, vengeance, mercy, and forgiveness, it focuses on a man who is wrongfully imprisoned, escapes from jail, acquires a fortune and sets about getting revenge on those responsible for his imprisonment. However, his plans have devastating consequences for the innocent as well as the guilty.

Considered a literary classic today, The Count of Monte Cristo has become a fixture of Western literature, as inescapable and immediately identifiable as Mickey Mouse, Noah's flood, and the story of Little Red Riding Hood.

He was reading like William Shatner speaks in Family Guy. Pauses where there are none, the intonation way off. Dear.......friendwould..........youlikesome.........wine?

21 of 21 people found this review helpful

Janneke

UTRECHT, Netherlands

22/02/13

Overall

Performance

Story

"Absolutely awful narrator!"

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

No one. The narrator was just awful.

What didn’t you like about Alan Munro’s performance?

He read very robotic, as if "Text-to-speach" was enabled, instead of an actual person telling the story.

13 of 13 people found this review helpful

Steve

26/04/13

Overall

Performance

Story

"A distracting performance for a good story"

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The narrator had unnatural pauses and a cadence which was totally distracting. Perhaps that is why this version was only about two dollars.

7 of 7 people found this review helpful

Audrey

25/06/15

Overall

Performance

Story

"Distracting"

The readers pacing and voice acting was so distracting that I decided not to finish it

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Amazon Customer

08/10/15

Overall

Performance

Story

"mediocre reading saved by fantastic story"

this story is incredible. the reading however is not great. I got used to it.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Chassidy

19/03/15

Overall

Performance

Story

"Narrator mumbles"

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

I saw a Spanish soap opera based on this book and really wanted to get the real story however it is very hard to understand the narrator

Would you be willing to try another one of Alan Munro’s performances?

No he mumbles

Any additional comments?

Please get someone else to narrate this wonderful story maybe use actors for the different characters

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Amazon Customer

29/09/14

Overall

Performance

Story

"A computer could have read this better"

Is there anything you would change about this book?

A Classic Tale

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

A Classic Tale

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Alan Munro?

Alan Munro's narration was stilted, choppy and in short, plainly horrible. If I had not heard and enjoyed other audiobooks, his performance may have put me off the genre entirely!

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Carl

Long Beach, CA, USA

25/02/13

Overall

Performance

Story

"Non stop fascinating intrigue!"

If you could sum up The Count of Monte Cristo in three words, what would they be?

Dumas, great writer.

What did you like best about this story?

I amazed at the way the author inter weaved the lives of the several and varied characters. As the reader, I soon became familiar with each of them, but the twist and turns in their lives kept one wanting to read on

Which scene was your favorite?

If I had to select a favorite scene, it would be the escape of Edmund Dantes from the horrible dungeon prison Château d'If.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

When I began to listen to this book, due to its length I wondered if I would find the time necessary to listen to it all over a reasonable period. Soon into the book, I found myself making extra time and and couldn't wait to get back to listening to this book. Tried listening to it in bed but would fall off to sleep and have to re-listen to a chapter the following morning.

Any additional comments?

When I regretfully completed "The Count of Monte Cristo", I went through withdrawal and wondered which book afterwards I could ever enjoy as much as I enjoyed Alexander Dumas, The Count of Monte Cristo.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Theresa

16/06/17

Overall

Performance

Story

"Priceless"

Hearing this take of woe, revenge, hope and happiness again is such a treat. I wish someone would make a miniseries out of it. The movies cannot do it justice.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Stephanie M

28/03/17

Overall

Performance

Story

"Great story, horrible Narrator"

Would you listen to The Count of Monte Cristo again? Why?

I wouldn't listen to this version again, that's for sure!

Would you be willing to try another one of Alan Munro’s performances?

Absolutely not. He has terrible distracting and unnatural pauses in the middle of his sentences. All his voices sound the same so it's hard to tell when one character stops and the next starts. Terrible performance. Can't believe I paid $2 for it. I did not finish listening. I didn't even make it through the first chapter. Will start a different version.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

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